Here's a recap of the Tour of Arkansas...
Stage 0: The hardest part can be getting there, and Arkansas was no exception. A 2 hour delay in Dallas meant I arrived at my host house at 1AM. 6 hours later I was up and eating breakfast for stage 1.
Stage 1: A tricky stage to judge; over 10,000 ft of climbing over 110 miles, but no climb more than 2 miles long. This meant a constant up and down, with a battle for position at the front for the each punchy climb; a bit like an Ardennes Classic, this one. After a valiant battle, I made the front group of 30, but was unfortunately gapped off a bit on the final rise before the line, losing 12 seconds.
Stage 2: 97 miles, finishing with the infamous 3 mile climb up Mt. Nebo, with steady grades of 18%. Yes, this climb is steeper than Magnolia. I had a 27 tooth cassette for the occasion, and needed every gear inch of it. After a steady pace on the run in, where I had to battle again with the bigger teams for a spot a the front (I didn't make any friends this race, for sure), we hit the finishing climb hard. I rode up at my own pace, and wound up 15th for the day, @ 1min 40 from the race winner.
Stage 3: Another near 100-miler, this time finishing on a more steady 10 mile climb of around 2500 ft elevation gain. At this point I started to realize that the head cold I'd been trying to ignore had moved a bit into my lungs; I was determined to give it a go regardless, as my legs were feeling good. Abound halfway up the final climb, Frank Pipp put in a strong attack, drawing 10 guys out from the field; I was a bit indecisive at that moment and found myself in the 2nd group. I eventually attacked out of that group with Mark Walters, but we were not quite able to bridge to the front. I finished 12th on the day.
Stage 4: Downtown Criterium in Van Buren, Arkansas. Not necessarily my favorite event, but I was determined to make the most of it and ride at the front. By the time I got there at 3 laps in, the race-winning break had already gone, and the team of the GC leader (Team Type 1), was content to ride a steady (read; leg-busting) tempo to keep it in check. I tried an attack with 5 to go, trying to steal a few seconds and move up a spot on GC, but the pace on the field brought me back.
I finished a reasonable 15th on GC, not quite what I had hoped for, but a great training effect should be achieved nonetheless. Tour of Arkansas is a solid 4-stage race, and one I would like to come back in the future.